Author: Matt Skinner

The Ballston Quarter Pedestrian Bridge, erected by Williams Steel Erection Co., Inc., has won a 2021 American Institute of Steel Design (AISC) IDEAS² Award.

According to AISC, the “Innovative Design in Engineering and Architecture with Structural Steel (IDEAS²) Award program recognizes projects that illustrate the exciting possibilities of building with structural steel”. The Ballston Quarter Pedestrian Bridge project exemplifies this through its use of steel to create a unique twisted structure which serves as the architectural gateway to Ballston.

While beautiful, this uniqueness made the process of constructing the bridge a major challenge. It required a complex operation where the bridge was fully assembled a half mile from the site and moved to the final location using specialized rigging and hauling equipment owned by Williams Steel Erection Co., Inc and Williams Construction Services. This was a project that could only be completed by a highly talented and experienced team, like that at Williams Industries, Inc.

In addition to the IDEAS² award, Williams Steel Erection Co., Inc. won a 2019 Steel Erection Association of America (SEAA) Project of the Year award for this project. You can read more about the IDEAS2 award and see additional pictures on the AISC website.

As the Transform 66 Outside the Beltway project continues, Williams Construction Services is providing equipment rentals to multiple customers working on various projects along the highway. On January 27, 2021, nine different WCS cranes performed work for three different customers from 7:00 AM on Wednesday to 5:00 AM the following day.

The day began at the intersection of I-66 and I-495, where a 40-ton Terex worked with FAM to install rebar on new piers for eastbound express lane exits. Just down I-66 West from there, a 20-ton National and 35-ton Lorain installed sound walls for Webber at Gallows Road and Cedar Lane.

Continuing down I-66 West, WCS’s 125-ton Krupp was installing sound walls for Webber on the eastbound side of the highway between Jermantown Road and Waples Mill Road. WCS also provided Webber with a 100-ton LinkBelt to complete rebar installation on a new pier for the Route 50 West overpass.

After working five cranes during the day, four cranes were used for night lifts that required lane closures. At Route 50, WCS’s Liebherr 330-ton 1300 was used by Webber to lift precast girders for the new Route 50 East overpass. I-66 westbound lane closures were required for the girder delivery, and a 55-ton Terex assisted with unloading.

In Gainesville, a 300-ton and 200-ton LinkBelt teamed up with Indus to lift precast girders over I-66 East for a new exit into the Gainesville Park and Ride facility (see video). The size of the girders required each to be picked by two cranes and placed on the piers during overnight lane closures of I-66 East.

At the end of the 22-hour stretch, Williams Construction Services’ cranes and operators had worked upwards of 75 hours on I-66 at seven different locations. WCS has rented cranes to FAM, Webber, Indus, and other contractors throughout this project, and continues to work on bridge, pier, and sound wall installation at numerous locations along the project route.

“Transform 66 Outside the Beltway” is a design-build project with VDOT, I-66 Express Mobility Partners, and general contractor FAM. Construction began in 2017 to add express lanes to a 22.5-mile stretch of I-66 from I-495 in Falls Church to Route 29 in Gainesville. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2022.

Despite having the word “steel” in their name, Williams Steel Erection Co., Inc. does more than just hang iron. The company’s broad experience in heavy construction can be seen through their work with erecting bridges, moving massive transformers, and erecting precast structures as displayed in it’s recent work on the West 38t Street Parking Garage in Norfolk, Virginia.

The new 240-space parking garage will service a new 150-unit apartment complex adjacent to Old Dominion University. Williams Steel Erection’s scope of work including erecting approximately 250 pieces of structural precast including columns, shear wall panels, double tees, and stairs with the heaviest weighing in at 65,000 pounds.

Erection was done with a 330-Ton Liebherr LR1300 crawler crane and a 210-Ton Link-Belt ATC-3210 hydraulic truck crane, both provided by Williams Construction Services. The precast concrete was supplied by Concrete Building Systems.

The combination of experience performing difficult heavy construction work and a wide range of on-hand owned and operated equipment makes Williams Industries, Inc. a leader in complex projects of all types in the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond. Take a look at some photos of this project below and check out the rest of the site for more.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

This summer Williams Construction Services provided 13 cranes to erect girders on 8 bridges as part of VDOT’s and I-66 Express Mobility Partner’s “Transform 66 Outside the Beltway” project. The design-build project with general contractor FAM Construction began in 2017 to add express lanes to a 22.5-mile stretch of I-66 from I-495 in Falls Church to Route 29 in Gainesville.

In the summer of 2020, work began in earnest on replacing many of the bridges that run over the interstate. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the WMATA Orange Line shut down, which allowed a small window for bridge work to be completed. During the maintenance shutdown, Williams Construction Services provided cranes and operators to erect bridge girders for the new spans of Cedar Lane, Gallows Road, and a new off ramp connecting I-66 Eastbound to I-495. Beyond the Orange Line, Williams Construction Services worked on Waples Mill Road, Poplar Tree Road, and Route 50 Westbound, and also widened I-66 over Cub Run and Bull Run.

• 

• 

• 

Each bridge presents its own unique challenges, and requires a diverse fleet of cranes. Williams Construction Services used its 300 ton Link Belt, 210 ton Link Belt, 135 ton Grove, and 135 ton Link Belt during the execution of this project, and continues to work with FAM Construction on the remaining bridges over I-66. The “Transform 66 Outside the Beltway” project is scheduled to be completed in 2022.

See our cranes at work throughout the summer

Williams Steel Erection Co., Inc. has once again won Project of the Year, this time for its work on the Ballston Quarter Pedestrian Walkway in Arlington, VA. This award was won in the Class II category.

The Project of the Year award, given by the Steel Erectors Association of America (SEAA), recognizes steel erection projects that “demonstrate complexity, unusual conditions, issues, and barriers requiring special management team action or performance.” Williams Steel won the Class III Project of the Year award in 2018 for its work on the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project – Phase 2.

The company’s work on this project required problem solving a challenging, high-profile project involving complex steel framing and challenging site conditions. You can read more about this process here.

The awards ceremony, previously scheduled to be held at the 48th Annual SEAA National Convention and Trade Show in Charleston, SC, was cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions. The project will be featured in SEAA’s Connector trade magazine later this year.

Williams Steel Erection Co., Inc. was recently highlighted on Link-Belt.com for their work on the new Atlantic Bank James Madison University Convocation Center in Harrisonburg, VA.

The feature showcases Williams Construction Services new 100-ton Link-Belt HTC-86100 hydraulic truck crane alongside their existing 200-ton Link-Belt LS-248H II lattice crawler crane and 200-ton Link-Belt HC-248H lattice boom truck crane.

Williams Steel erected the steel for the new 8,500 seat arena including eight 250 ft-long trusses weighing 60 tons each. The article features the erection of the final truss which had to be erected in extremely tight quarters from the bowl of the arena. The company successfully completed the pick in October.

For more information you can check out the article here:

Williams Steel Erection Co., Inc. provides structural steel erection services for all sizes of projects in the Mid-Atlantic region. Williams Construction Services rents cranes up to 330-ton capacity, performs heavy haul operations, and provides rigging services in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern Regions. Visit wmsi.com for more information on the services that these and other Williams Industries, Inc. subsidiaries can provide for your next project.

The Fall 2019 edition of SEAA’s Connector Magazine is out and Williams Steel Erection Co., Inc. has made the cover for their award winning performance on the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project – Phase 2.

Williams Steel won the Class III 2018 SEAA Project of the Year award for their work on this project and were recognized at the 47th SEAA Convention & Trade Show in Charlotte, NC on April 25, 2019. This award, given annually, recognizes projects that “demonstrate complexity, unusual conditions, issues, and barriers requiring special management team action or performance.”

On this complex job Williams Steel erected over 3500 tons of structural steel across 5 stations, 9 entrance pavilions, and 31 pedestrian bridge sections over less than 2 years. The connector article describes some of the unique challenges faced on this project as well as how the company’s experience and dedicated employees led to a successful project completion. The company’s employees also won a 2019 Washington Building Congress Craftsmanship Award for their work on this project.

Be sure to read the Connector article to learn about the great work Williams Steel employees did to make the project a success.

Williams Steel Erection Co., Inc. congratulates Dale Martin on his retirement at the end of April 2019. Dale has been a valued employee of Williams Steel for over 20 years, working as a field steel erection foreman.

A cookout to celebrate his retirement was held on July 10th where Dale was congratulated for his achievement and given a commemorative beam plaque. The company wishes Dale the best in his future endeavors.